Hearts of the Keyblade
by DaughteroftheRedKing
Summary: UA. Ventus was found by Sora and his mother after his heart was shattered, and raised with them. Now, he, Sora, and their friends embark upon their first adventure. (Part of a series of an unknown amount) (Rated T for violence and Vanitas' language)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello my lovely little readers! Welcome to another Kingdom Hearts fic! It's been a little while since I posted one, actually, but this is by far the longest I've posted. This is - as I call it - a VenSor brothers fic; basically, I changed the beginning of BBS, made Sora's mother find Ven (with Sora two years old), and wrote from there.**

**As it's already about 70 pages, I figured I should probably put it into parts. Therefore, this is not a completed fic, but the first part of an unknown amount. However, this fic has pretty much consumed me, so I'll hopefully finish writing part 2 before I finish posting this.**

**Anyway, please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix and Disney.**

* * *

The hooded man gazed at the figure wrapped in a white sheet. The boy lay on the tree, eyes closed as his body slowly died.

"It's a pity you could not take having your heart broken, but I suppose there is nothing else I can do. Farewell, failure," he murmured. He turned, waving his hand, and a black portal appeared. He glanced back at the boy one last time before stepping in.

It was a few minutes later when suddenly the boy relaxed, breathing deeply. His body healed itself, as his heart was repaired by another pure heart, though he did not awaken or move.

* * *

Keiko Harada followed her exciteable two year old son down the beach. He'd insisted that they go to the island that morning, and eventually she had agreed. He'd eagerly rushed through breakfast, allowed her to change him without a fuss, and didn't even wiggle when she put his shoes on.

"Here, Mummy! Look!" he cried finally, stopping infront of the oddly bent paopu tree.

Keiko raised her gaze before staring. A young boy lay wrapped in a blanket, eyes closed like he was sleeping peacefully.

"Oh my goodness! Are you alright?" she cried, hurrying over to him and lifting him gently off the tree. She set him on the ground, stroking his hair softly. "Sweetie? Come on, wake up," she murmured, worried that he was comatose or something.

Her son padded over, kneeling beside the boy, and reached out. He took his hand and smiled.

"Hello, nice to meet you!" he said happily.

There was a moment of silence, then the boy's eyes slid open. They were dark, empty, but as they landed on her son, they softened.

"You..You fixed my heart," he murmured.

"I'm Sora!"

"Hah...I'm Ventus," he whispered before falling asleep again.

Sora looked up at Keiko. "Mummy? Can we take him home please? Pleeease?" he begged her with large blue eyes.

Keiko sighed, then smiled. "Of course dear," she murmured, picking the boy up and heading back towards the boat, Sora padding alongside her.

* * *

It had been a week since the mysterious boy, Ventus, had been taken back to her home. He hadn't woken since, but Sora refused to give up hope, sitting by his side and chatting for hour after hour.

Keiko worried about her son sometimes. He wasn't a very sociable child, preferring to stay by himself and play his own little games. He had weird dreams sometimes, about hearts and keys and light. In fact, the day they had found Ventus, he'd woken up after a weird dream of him floating near someone's heart and helping them fix it.

Her ancestors had always had a strong light. Some of them had even fought in something called the 'Keyblade War'. She herself had never been able to use her light, and she didn't know if it was as strong, but she worried that Sora's dreams were premonitions of the future.

Keiko sighed as she finished washing up, placing the last dish on the side and deciding to make herself a quick cup of tea before starting on dinner. As she was just settling into a chair, her son came racing into the room.

"Mummy! Mummy! He woke up!" Sora cried happily. Keiko blinked then quickly placed her cup down, following Sora out of the room. They entered the guest room, and Keiko stared at Ventus. He was sitting up and gazing out the window with distant blue eyes.

As Sora ran towards him, he glanced down and smiled. Sora lifted his arms and Ventus happily obliged by reaching down and picking him up, seating him on his lap. Keiko gave a vague smile; the boy's eyes may have been empty, and his heart may have been broken, but he and Sora shared a very special connection.

She stepped forward and Ventus looked up at her, his face expressionless.

"Ventus, this is my Mummy! Mummy, this is Ventus!" Sora introduced, though it was hardly necessary.

"Please, call me Keiko," she replied, holding out a hand. Ventus gazed at it a moment in a bit of confusion.

"You do this," Sora said, reaching out and taking his mother's hand before shaking it. He drew back and smiled at Ventus. "You try!" he laughed.

Ventus considered, then reached out with his nearest hand.

"Your other hand, silly," giggled Sora, and Ventus blinked before swapping hands and taking Keiko's. He shook lightly, and she smiled.

"It's nice to meet you, Ventus. I hope you make yourself comfortable while you stay," she said.

Ventus gazed at her a moment then nodded, face still expressionless. Keiko gave a quiet sigh and looked at Sora.

"I'm going to start making tea, alright? Why don't you keep our guest company and I'll call you when it's ready."

"Okay!" Sora said happily, watching as his mum walked out before grinning up at Ventus. "That's my Mummy! She's really great!" he explained, and Ventus gave a vague smile.

* * *

A few months passed, and Keiko was settling into life with an extra boy in the house. Since her husband had died a year ago, she'd been struggling to get back into a good routine. Sora's cheerfulness was what kept her going. Now, with an extra mouth to feed, most would expect her task to become more difficult. In actual fact, it gave her more purpose.

She'd decided that Ventus couldn't really be any older than eight. She would have enrolled him at school, but despite the three months he'd been living with her, he was still rather out of it. The only person he really responded to was Sora, and he still had yet to speak. The only thing she had ever heard him say was his name back when she had found him.

Finishing breakfast, she headed up to the room that Ventus and Sora had ended up sharing. Originally they'd had two separate rooms, but Sora kept climbing into Ventus' bed at night, so she'd given up.

Knocking on the door, she peeked round the edge. The nightlight glowed brightly beside the bed, as did the various stickers around the room, though a little bit of sunlight streamed into the room through the curtains.

"Time to wake up, sleepy heads," she said.

Sora curled up slightly before yawning widely and sitting up, rubbing his eyes.

"Oh...mornin' Mummy," he murmured, before shaking Ventus. "C'mon Ven, gotta go get breakfast," he said, jumping off the bed.

Ventus' eyes slid open, and he sat up. He climbed off the bed and followed Sora, showing no signs of having been asleep only seconds earlier.

As they ate breakfast, Keiko glanced over at Sora. "Sora, honey, have you considered joining play school?" she asked.

Sora went quiet, frowning slightly. "No..I don't wanna. The other kids don't like me, and I wanna stay with Ven," he murmured.

"You can't be with Ventus all the time, sweetie," Keiko pointed out, though he'd managed a good job of it so far.

Sora shook his head furiously. "I don't wanna!" he repeated, stronger this time.

Keiko sighed. "Alright honey, it's your decision," she said, standing up and placing her bowl on the side. "I'm heading off to work now, I'll be back about four. Be good!" she said as she pulled on her shoes and headed out.

As the door closed, Sora finally let the tears he was holding back fall. He didn't make any sound, but the two tears dropping were enough to get Ventus' attention.

Ventus gazed at Sora in a little bit of concern. He touched the younger boy's shoulder, but Sora just quickly wiped the tears away.

"I'm okay Ven. Really. Should we head down the beach?" he asked, putting on a false air of happiness and smiling. Ventus nodded, but somewhere deep inside, it felt wrong to just drop the subject like this.

* * *

**A/N: So, after rereading the wiki, I actually realised Sora ****_does _****have a dad. I didn't actually realise, seeing as no mention (so far as I had known) of him had been made, so I just had him dead. That's hopefully the only oversight I've made, but I'll try to make sure I don't overlook any obvious details like that.**

**Review?**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I am aware (after a lot of confusion) that Sora is approximately three or four when all the trouble with Ven actually finishes, making Ven about 13 (only a guess, as I haven't been able to find out his age so far). My ages don't go with that, but seeing as it's a UA anyway, hopefully it won't matter to anyone too much.**

**(Again, another oversight I should have been more careful about)**

**Oh yeah, and the education system goes by the UK. I have no idea how the US education system goes or from what ages, so you'll have to put with with my English style instead *goes off to drink tea and eat crumpets while chanting 'God save the Queen'***

* * *

The two of them sat on the beach, Ventus crosslegged and watching as Sora made a sandcastle beside him. Sora finished it off by placing a flag on top, and straightened, looking proud of his work.

"There! And that's how you make a sand castle!" Sora proclaimed, grinning widely.

Ventus inspected the castle, tilting his head curiously. It certainly was rather artistic.

Ventus gave a vague frown then reached down a different bit of sand, trying to copy Sora's castle. He poured a bunch of sand on top of another bunch of sand, then smoothed the sides, creating a slope.

He looked between the two, seeming a bit disheartened as he realised his looked nothing like Sora's. Sora noticed his expression and patted his arm.

"It's okay, Ven! It's really good for your first time!" he said, smiling brightly. Ventus glanced at him, tilting his head slightly, and Sora's smile widened. "Really!"

A shadow blocked out their vision and Ventus glanced up, gazing at the three kids standing above him.

"Whoa, what's that? A mole hill?" asked the one at the front, snorting. The other two laughed as well, and Sora stood, pouting angrily.

"It's not a mole hill! It's a sand castle!" he replied hotly.

"A..sand castle?" the second asked, the three of them staring at it, then laughing even louder.

"That's not a sand castle!" the third snorted.

"And even if it was, it's an ugly one. And ugly sand castles should be demonlished, right?" the first said, before kicking the sand over.

Ventus gazed at it a moment, then tilted his head. So...what exactly did that accomplish?

Sora, however, looked angry. "You can't just do that!" he cried.

"Why not? It's just a bit of sand, he'll get over it," the third said with a snort.

"So, what's this? This yours?" asked the first, standing next to Sora's.

"Heh, not bad for a little kid," the second said, shrugging.

Sora looked a little happier. "You think so?" he asked.

"Yeah, I guess," the first mused, before giving a grin and kicking it.

Sora stared in dismay as his sand castle was trodden to bits. Then he looked at the boy. "W-Why did you do that?" he asked, hurt lacing his voice.

"Sorry. Guess my foot slipped," the boy said with a nasty grin, and the other two laughed with him. Sora gazed at his demolished sand castle, fighting the tears that were welling up in his eyes.

"Aww, is the little baby crying?" asked the third, mimicking him.

"No!" Sora replied, but his voice cracking a tear running down his cheek gave him away.

"You're such a baby, Sora. Grow up already," the second said with an eye roll.

Sora gazed at the floor, biting his lip.

Ventus looked at him in concern. He didn't like seeing Sora crying. It felt wrong to see this constantly cheerful boy looking upset. Still, he couldn't understand _why _Sora was crying, so he couldn't comfort him.

The first boy stepped forward. "Look at him, sobbing like a little baby. You're a little cry-baby Sora, aren't you?" he mocked.

"Go away..." muttered Sora.

"Oooh, picking a fight, are we?"

"I just want you to go away! Please?"

"Oh, so _now _he's polite. Should have remembered that the first time, Sora!" the boy said, shoving Sora back. Sora stumbled a little before hitting the ground with a bump.

Ventus blinked, then frowned. If there was one thing he knew, it was that hurting others was not something that should be done, or that you should be proud of.

The boy started laughing, the other two joining him.

"What's the matter Sora? You gonna cry for mummy?" laughed the first. Sora felt his cheeks heating up, tears coming to his eyes again. He hated this...he was always humiliated like this, and it hurt...

Suddenly Ventus stood, and the boys quickly cut their laughter, stumbling back. Ventus' eyes were shining with anger as he stood infront of Sora, sheilding him from them.

"Leave alone," he said strongly.

The first boy, being the oldest at five years old, was immediately intimidated by this big eight year old boy with angry eyes. He quickly turned and ran, his friends following.

Ventus watched them go then looked at Sora, kneeling down. He tilted his head, gazing at him curiously.

"You..alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Sora mumbled, rubbing his eyes. Ventus glanced down, noticing that he had a grazed knee. He frowned, vaguely remembering from somewhere that if cuts or grazes got dirty, they could really hurt. Sora's knees were covered in sand, so he'd probably gotten some in. He wouldn't be surprised if it hurt.

He stood up, bending down and easily lifting Sora up. Sora glanced at him in surprise, but he just smiled.

"We...build again? Tomorrow?" he suggested.

Sora blinked, then smiled. "Okay," he said happily, before Ventus carried him home.

* * *

When Keiko came home that evening, Sora was happily chatting away with Ventus in the kitchen, and Ventus was replying to some of the things he said. She blinked, wondering what had happened. Then she saw the plaster on Sora's knee and frowned.

"Sora? What happened? You're injured," she said, going into mothering mode.

"It was nothing, Mummy. Some boys were being mean, but Ven told them to go away and they did!" Sora explained with a grin. Keiko glanced quickly at Ventus, who gazed at her blankly for a moment before giving a shy smile. She stiffened, realising it was the first time he had actually smiled at her.

For a moment the two of them gazed at each other, then Keiko relaxed, a smile coming to her lips.

"Well, thank you for that, Ventus," she said, crossing over to him and kissing him on the forehead. He looked at her in surprise, then his smile widened, and she was glad that they were finally getting through.

Maybe, one day, Ventus would even talk to her too.

* * *

"Ven? What do you think stars are made out of?" four year old Sora asked one night as they lay on the beach, gazing up at the sky.

"Um..well, some people say they're balls of gas, and others say they're loved ones watching over you. But I think they're other worlds," Ventus replied.

"Other worlds?"

"Right. I mean, we live on Destiny Islands, but who's to say that there isn't another world out there that we've never even seen?"

"Wow...I would love to see another world!"

"Yeah, it'd be pretty cool. Maybe one day we'll go together?"

Sora nodded, grinning. "It's a promise!" he said happily.

Ventus smiled, then went back to gazing up at the sky.

For a while the two lay in silence, then Ventus glanced at him again. "You're starting school tomorrow, right?"

"Uh huh.." Sora replied, shivering in anticipation.

"Don't worry. I'll be with you, so you don't need to be afraid," Ventus soothed, taking his hand.

The nearest school was further inland, so they would have to take the bus. There were a few other people who lived in their village that took the bus too. It was Ventus' first time starting school too, and he'd had to be home tutored to get him back up to a normal ten year old's standard, but he would be starting Year 7 in High School, while Sora was starting Year 1 in Primary School. Although the schools were pretty close together - thus why they shared the same bus - it was still nervous for Sora to actually be somewhere without Ventus.

"I hope it's okay. I hope they don't all hate me, at least," Sora murmured.

"It'll be okay," Ventus assured him, before smiling. "After all, our hearts are connected, right? We're always together, no matter where we are."

Sora glanced at him then grinned. "Right! So if you have any trouble, just call me!" he said.

"Wha..hey! That's my line!" Ventus cried, and Sora laughed. After a moment, Ventus joined in.

Eventually, Ventus sat up. "Come on, we better get back in. Early day tomorrow," he said, standing up. Sora gave a tired yawn, sitting up and gazing around blearily. Ventus sighed then reached down and picked him up, allowing Sora to curl against his chest and fall asleep. Ventus rolled his eyes then headed back to the house, reassured by Sora's warmth and heartbeat.

* * *

Sora entered the classroom warily. A few other students were already there, and he went to a quiet corner, sitting down and hoping to remain unnoticed.

Other students began to arrive, saying goodbye to their parents. Some didn't want to let go, clinging and wanting to go back home, but eventually they were left and they settled in easily.

Sora's gaze dropped. His own mummy was busy, so she'd wished him good luck with her magical kiss on the forehead and made him a special lunch. Ventus had taken him all the way to the classroom door, hugged him goodbye, then hurried out so that he could get to school on time.

Maybe, if he'd had a daddy, he would have been able to say goodbye like all these other children...

"Why're you sittin' in a corner by yourself?"

Sora jumped at the unexpected voice, turning to see a boy with silver hair and aquamarine eyes gazing at him. The boy tilted his head, looking curious.

"Well?" he asked again, though his tone sounded merely curious.

"I'm just...a little shy, I guess," Sora mumbled, his gaze sliding to the ground.

"Oh. Guess that makes sense," the boy agreed. "My name's Riku. What's yours?"

"Sora."

"Nice to meet you, Sora," Riku said with a quick grin, before he wandered off to go talk to some other kids.

Sora felt a little bit happier. At least one person was nice here...

* * *

**A/N: And everything blows over next chapter.**

**Review?**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Of which bullies are bullies.**

* * *

He hit the ground with a bump, but refused to cry. He should have realised that _they _went to this school too.

"You gonna cry, little baby? Your big bro ain't here to help you now," teased the boy.

It had to be them. The three who enjoyed tormenting him, for some reason.

"He'll probably burst out in tears any second!" the third snorted.

Sora felt his bottom lip tremble, but bit on it, forcing himself to blink away the tears. He stood up, intending to just leave.

"Where're you going?" demanded the first.

"Inside," Sora murmured.

"Oh, really? But we ain't done talking to you yet!" he snarled, grabbing Sora's shoulder and dragging him back. He pushed Sora against the wall, lifting the boy up by his collar. Sora gave a choked gasp, reaching up to try and make him let go.

"You're so damn cocky...thinking you're better than everyone else, huh? Just 'cause you got a big brother to watch out for you? But he ain't here now, is he?"

"Please...please let go.." Sora whimpered, and the boy laughed.

"Oh, so you've finally started remembering your manners? Too little too late."

He tightened his grip and Sora gasped, hands grabbing the boys wrists desperately. _'Ven...'_

"Hey! What're you doin'!" yelled a voice. The boys turned slightly, and Sora's eyes slid over to the voice, spotting Riku. He scowled, running towards them.

"Stop that right now!" he shouted.

The other two boys glanced at the one holding Sora, and he considered, before shrugging. "Beat him up."

They boys advanced on Riku, who held his ground. As they leapt forward, he punched one of them in the gut, smirking as they slid to the ground. Then the other was behind him and he yelped. They grabbed his wrists, pining them behind him, then forced him to the ground and knelt on his back. The one he had punched stood up unsteadily, stumbling over with a scowl. He kicked Riku in the side, and the boy gave a cry.

"Brat," he hissed, kicking him again.

"No..stop it...please.." Sora begged.

"Keep going!" the guy holding him said to the others, and the one on his back tightened his grip while the other continued kicking him.

_'Ven...Please...!'_

_'I'm here.'_

Sora blinked then heard the bar separating the two schools rattle. He turned slightly, seeing Ven leaping over the top of the railing. Other kids and a few teachers followed him, though that was probably because he just ran out of lesson.

"Hey! What are you doing!" he yelled at the kids as he landed.

The commotion had drawn the attention of the other teachers and students, and they came round the corner, eyes widening as they saw what was going on.

"Justin! What an earth do you think you're doing?!" demanded one of the Primary teachers.

The boy holding him, Justin, gave a grunt. "Damn.." he hissed. He nodded to the other two boys, who got off Riku, but not before giving him a final kick. Justin glanced at Sora, slamming him against the wall before dropping him and backing away to stand beside the other two.

Sora began coughing violently, one hand on his throat. Ventus hurried over to Sora, pulling him onto his lap. "Sora? Sora, are you alright? I'm sorry I took so long getting here.." he murmured.

Sora shook his head, giving him a faint smile before looking over at Riku. He clambered off, padding over to him.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Riku pushed himself up, hissing in pain as his side flared up, then gave Sora a strained smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied.

"You didn't have to help," Sora mumbled.

"Well, you're a nice kid. I wanted to."

Sora gave a vague smile, then the two boys looked up as the school nurse hovered over them. They allowed themselves to be quickly inspected while the teachers told the boys off. Ventus hovered nearby, expression worried.

The nurse finally straightened. "Well, there's no lasting damage, but you should head home for the rest of the day. Is there anyone to take you back? Where do you live?"

"The village near the beach," Riku answered, and Sora blinked.

"Wait, you live there too?" he asked, surprised.

"You live there?" Riku also asked.

Ventus stepped forward. "I can take them back," he offered.

"And you are..?" the nurse asked, eyebrow raised.

"Ventus. I'm Sora's older brother. Our mum's out at work, and we don't have a dad, so I can take them."

The nurse glanced at the two boys, and Sora nodded. Eventually Riku also nodded and she sighed.

"Alright then. I'll give your parents' work places a ring and tell them what happened. Head home," she said, standing up. Ventus crossed over as Sora and Riku stood up. Riku gave a quiet whimper, and Sora looked at him in concern. Ventus eyed him as they walked out of the playground and Riku limped slightly.

As soon as they were out of eyeshot, he reached down and scooped the boy up. Riku made a sound of surprise and protest, but Ventus shut him up.

"We don't want you injuring yourself any further," he pointed out. Riku went red but sighed, burying himself into Ventus' arms and hiding his face in embarassment.

Sora gave a giggle, coughing slightly as he did, and Ventus reached down to grab his hand. Sora happily took it, swinging his arm as they walked down the road.

* * *

They ended up having to walk back home. The school bus only ran in the morning and end of school, and the boys hadn't taken any money to catch the normal bus.

Sora started out happily enough, talking quietly with Riku, but after five miles he began to get tired, his feet dragging on the pavement. His eyelids drooped slightly, and Ventus sighed. He lowered Riku a moment, bending down.

"Come on Sora, get on," he said. Sora blinked sleepily, and Ventus motioned to his back. Sora padded over, putting his arms around Ventus' neck. He stood, supporting Sora with one hand, then reached down and picked Riku up again. Sora gave a tired smile then fell asleep, his head nodding against Ventus' back.

Riku watched him for a while, then glanced up at Ventus. "Y'know...I don't remember you living in our village before a couple of years back."

"Yeah. Keiko picked me up two years ago, and she's been looking after me ever since."

"Then why'd you say you were Sora's older brother?"

Ventus considered. "Well...I kinda am. He acts like my little brother, at least."

Riku tilted his head, taking this in, then smiled. "He must be lucky, having a brother like you."

Ventus looked at him in confusion, but he just shook his head, burying his head into Ventus' chest. As they walked, Ventus glanced down at him.

"Do you want to come back to our place for a bit?" he asked.

Riku glanced at him in surprise, then gave a shy nod. "Yes please," he murmured.

* * *

When they arrived back at the house, Ventus gently lowered Riku onto the sofa, then turned and sat down, also placing Sora on it. Sora immediately started hugging a cushion, still happily sleeping.

Ventus knelt infront of Riku, gently prodding his side. Riku winced and he sent him an apologetic look before lifting his shirt, gazing at the dark bruise forming on his side.

Lowering it, he stood up. "Wait here, I'll just get something for that bruise," he whispered before heading into the kitchen. He returned a few seconds later with a bag of frozen peas, lifting Riku's shirt again and placing them against it. Riku flinched prematurely, then sighed in relief as the pain was nulled.

Ventus motioned for him to hold the bag, and he did so before Ventus turned to Sora. Gently he checked him over, frowning as the dark bruises forming around his neck and on his back, then sighed unhappily.

"I should have been faster..." he murmured half to himself. Shaking his head, the glanced over at Riku. "Thanks for sticking up for him, though. Sorry you got injured."

Riku shrugged. "M'fine. I've had worse, and anyway, those guys needed to know that they can't carry on hurting people. Everyone's fed up of them, but they're also too scared to stop them."

Ventus looked at him in surprise, then smiled. "You're a brave kid," he said.

Riku blinked then looked away, going a little red. "I'm not that good... Sora's probably been putting up with them for a few years, so he's braver than me," he mumbled.

"So have you. Don't put yourself down too much," Ventus replied.

Riku nodded, giving a small smile as he curled against the sofa as well.

The three of them remained in the living room for a while, Sora still fast asleep as Riku dozed lightly. Ventus sat gazing out of the window, blue eyes distant as he tried to figure out a solution to the problem that was the three boys.

The door was suddenly thrown open, and the two boys jerked awake, looking up blearily as Keiko entered the room hurriedly. She stood there a second, looking Sora over, then rushed forward and hugged him.

"Oh, Sora...Are you alright? When the school called me I hurried back as fast as I could..." she murmured.

Sora smiled. "I'm fine Mummy. Riku and Ven helped me, and Ven carried us both all the way back home," he said happily.

Keiko smiled, brushing back the tears in her eyes as she turned to the other two boys. "Well, I think you all deserve a treat for being such big boys. What do you want?"

"Ice cream! Ice cream!" Sora laughed, leaping off the sofa and hurrying towards the kitchen.

Kieko shook her head, watching as Ventus wandered after him and looking over at Riku. "Is that alright with you?" she asked.

Riku blinked, then nodded slowly, looking a little shy. Keiko smiled and stood up, wandering after the other two boys in the hopes of getting everyone some ice cream before Sora pigged it all.

* * *

**A/N: I don't actually mention in this story, though it may come up in part 2, but my backstory for Riku is that he's the youngest of a lot of siblings and either ignored or beaten by his mum. He's also just under a year older than Sora***

_***Explanation: Riku's birthday is in September, Sora's in August, of different years (Riku the year before Sora). In England, at least, the education system works from September to August for one year, so they would be in the same year but different ages - for about a month they would be the same age, then Riku would be older than him again.**_

**Review?**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: And welcome onto the scene, Kairi!**

* * *

Riku and Sora quickly became close friends. Although Riku was nearly a year older than Sora, it didn't particularly effect them; it usually just meant that Riku was turning into a sort of in-school babysitter for Sora.

The three boys were let off with a warning by the school in the end. They were deemed 'too young to be held responsible for their own actions', and simply said that if it happened again they would be expelled. Although a stern telling-off from their parents curbed their more aggressive tendencies, it didn't stop them from yelling insults at the two boys and occasionally trying to instigate a fight. However, neither boy rose to the challenge, and after Ventus had somehow known when Sora was in trouble the last time, they weren't willing to face him again.

Riku started coming round to Sora's after school daily, the two boys playing together for a little while with Ventus until Keiko came home. A couple of years passed quickly, Sora turning six, Riku seven, and Ventus twelve. Although the two youngest didn't have a ton of friends, they had a few close ones and so were happy enough. Ventus didn't have many friends, just people he could hang around with, but having never really experienced companionship, he didn't particularly mind either.

One day, the three boys were playing on the beach, Riku and Sora splashing each other in the water while Ventus made sand-castles - he'd gotten good over the period of Sora teaching him, and now found it was one of his favourite pasttimes.

As he finished off yet another castle, he felt something odd and looked up, blinking as a young girl walked towards them. He'd never seen her before, and wondered who she was.

She smiled as she spotted him, walking over and squatting next to his army of sand-castles. Looking around at them, she grinned at him.

"You're pretty good. Did you make all of these?" she asked.

"Yeah, Sora showed me how," Ventus replied. Then he tilted his head a little. "Who're you?"

The girl's smile widened. "I'm Kairi. I just moved to Destiny Islands today, so my mum told me to go out and meet the locals."

"Oh. Well, it's nice to meet you, Kairi. I'm Ventus."

"Nice to meet you too, Ventus," Kairi replied happily, before taking a seat beside him. He continued making another sand-castle, and Kairi watched him for a minute before also starting to make one. As Ventus watched her build two more, he blinked; both of them were different, unique, and looked more interesting than his own.

"You can build sand-castles in different ways?" Ventus asked in surprise.

Kairi looked up at him in confusion. "Well, of course you can. You can build them however you want," she replied.

Ventus considered this, then attempted to make a different sand-castle. For a while they just kept falling over, until Kairi showed him that the bottom had to be heavier than the top, and then he quickly grasped how to do it.

"Woah Ven! You must have at least a hundred!" giggled Sora as he came running over. He noticed Kairi and looked confused. "Who're you?"

"I'm Kairi. I just moved to Destiny Islands today," Kairi replied with a smile.

"Oh. I'm Sora, and this is Riku," Sora introduced, giving a wide grin and motioning to the silver-head behind him. He inclined his head slightly, squatting infront of Ventus' latest sand-castle and helping a little.

"What?! No fair, you can't have two people building a sand-castle," Sora whinged.

"Yes you can, Sora," Riku replied with a sigh.

"Fine! Then we'll have a competition, and me and Kairi'll be against you and Ven," Sora declared.

Kairi smiled as Ventus shrugged, Riku rolling his eyes as he went to sit beside Ventus.

* * *

Kairi became fast friends with the three boys. To begin with she was quiet, and seemed extremely gentle, but as they got to know her more she turned out to be just as exciteable as Sora, happily playing along with their games and often sparring with the two younger boys - and winning frequently.

She also started going to their school, turning out to be in the same year as them. They quickly became inseparable, rarely seeing any of them apart from the other two. They gained the title of 'The Three Musketeers' around their school, though it wasn't completely accurate as Ventus was also often with them whenever he could be.

The three of them had been sitting on the grassy part of the playground, Kairi and Sora rolling down the small hill while Riku watched on and was occasionally pulled up to join them. They'd reached the bottom again, Sora standing with a breathless laugh and helping Kairi up, when he heard footsteps behind him. Glancing back, he quickly backed away, trying to avoid the three boys' gazes.

"What're you freaks doing, then?" asked the one at the front, smirking.

"None of your business," Riku snapped back.

"Touchy. Maybe we just wanted to join in?" he said, stepping towards them. Sora took another step back instinctively, eyes still fixed on the ground.

The one next to him shook his head, glancing at Kairi. "I don't know why you hang around with them. They're full on freaks, y'know?" he said.

Kairi glanced at them, then stepped infront of Sora, giving a bright smile. "Well, maybe I'm a freak as well," she replied sweetly.

The boys hesitated, not wanting to hurt or upset Kairi, then grunted. "You'd do best not to hang around with them," growled the one at the front before they turned, heading back towards the school.

As they headed away, Sora sighed. "I'm so weak," he muttered.

Kairi glanced back at him, then took his hand, making him look up. "You're not weak. You just didn't want to fight, right? I think it's good that you don't get wound up by them."

Sora glanced at her uncertainly, and she smiled. Looking over at Riku, he shrugged, giving a small smile. After a moment he grinned. "Right. And besides, I've got you guys!" he laughed.

* * *

Ventus, Sora, Riku and Kairi wandered into Sora's house after school one afternoon, the younger kids happily going to the kitchen to raid the freezer for ice cream as Ventus headed upstairs to start his homework. As he stepped up, Sora came into the hallway, looking up.

"Hey, Ven, d'you want some ice ceam?" he asked.

Ventus considered, then shook his head, smiling. "Thanks Sora, but I need to finish this tonight. I'll play with you guys later though," he promised.

Sora grinned. "Alright!" he replied happily, skipping back into the kitchen.

Ventus smiled as he heard him chatting with Riku and Kairi, before continuing up the stairs and heading into his room. He closed his door, dropping his bag onto his bed and pulling the curtains across before getting changed. Deciding he could use a drink, he headed back out, turning towards the stairs.

Dizziness suddenly hit him, and he staggered, lifting a hand to his head as he tried to stop everything spinning. The walls and floor were blurring together slightly, and he took a vague step forward before collapsing.

Sora was happily licking his spoon clean of ice cream when he heard a loud thump. He jumped then glanced at Kairi and Riku, who looked surprised, before lowering his spoon and jumping off his chair. Running into the hall, he looked up.

"Ven? Are you okay?" he called. He didn't get a reply and hesitated before starting up the stairs. "Ven..?" he asked again, reaching the top before gasping. "Ven!" he cried, kneeling beside the older boy and attempting to check him over.

"Sora, what happened?" called Riku as they padded into the hall.

"I don't know! Ven's just fallen over," Sora replied worriedly, watching as the other two quickly joined his side.

"Is he okay?" asked Kairi, looking a little scared. Sora shrugged as Riku frowned.

"Do you think we should move him?" he suggested.

"I dunno, isn't he too heavy?" Sora replied.

"There's three of us though. I mean, I'm sure we could manage it, right?"

Ventus' eyes slowly opened, and he blinked before pushing himself up with a groan. The three kids quickly surrounded him, asking if he was alright.

"You just fell over! What happened?" asked Sora, voice trembling slightly.

Ventus frowned, then shook his head. "Nothing, I was just a little dizzy. Maybe I stood up too fast or something; I'm sure it's nothing serious," he replied gently.

"Are you sure you're okay? Maybe you should just do your homework downstairs, then we can look after you," Kairi suggested. The two boys nodded quickly, looking at Ventus expectantly.

Ventus glanced around at them, then smiled. "Alright. Let me just grab my bag first."

"I can get it," Riku replied, standing up and padding into his room. Ventus stood up, padding downstairs with the two kids following. They headed into the living room, Kairi running off to the kitchen to get him a drink, and Ventus sat down on the sofa with a sigh. Sora sat down next to him, wriggling back a little so that his feet were dangling above the ground.

"Are you really okay?" asked Sora hesitantly.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. It was just a little dizzy spell," Ventus replied with a smile. Sora nodded, though he didn't look convinced, and snuggled against him silently.

Ventus hugged him gently, glancing out the window for a frown. What he'd seen...that was just a dream, right? There was no way it was ever going to happen, was it?

...Even if it did, he'd protect Sora with his life.

* * *

**A/N: When I was little, we used to be allowed on the grassy playground during summer, and me and my friends would just roll down the hill continuously. It was pretty much everyone's favourite thing to do. I figured I could incorporate it, at least.**

**Review?**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Finally we start moving on with the story.**

**Apologies for the late chapter. I had a two-day drama exam this week, which meant I didn't get home until about 10 (but my internet switches off at 9 *sigh*). I also had a drama trip yesterday, so didn't get back until about 11. So...yeah. That's my excuse.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own it, though I have finally beaten one of the games (DDD)**

* * *

It had been a little while since Ventus had randomly collapsed. When Keiko came home and heard about it, she'd been concerned, but after a thorough check over had been unable to determine anything which may have caused it. Ventus passed it off as a one-off dizzy spell, and in the end she agreed.

Almost a year later, Ventus had turned 13 and Sora turned 7. Nothing had happened since, and they were happily getting along with their lives. The four of them had also started going to the island they had first found Ventus alone, and happily played there. Few people actually came to the island, as it was small and mostly inhabitable, and so they spent their time making treehouses and adventure courses to race on.

Sora and Ventus were on the island after a day at school, Riku and Kairi having said they would come later after finishing their homework. Sora had homework too, but he preferred to put it off and Ventus didn't get the use of it enough to convince Sora to do it.

Sora happily ran on the sand, chasing the shadows of the birds circling above them, as Ventus watched from the path. He smiled, lifting his gaze to the sky and sighing happily. It was peaceful, nothing like the few nightmares he'd been having recently, and he felt himself relaxing a bit.

Suddenly Sora gave a cry, and Ventus looked back quickly, staring at the black blob staggering across the sand towards him. Sora backed away, turning and running towards Ventus, and the blob gave a loud chitter before leaping at him.

Before it could hit, Ventus threw himself between them, lifting an arm as the creature slashed at him. He cried out, stumbling back and hitting the floor as it moved back, gazing at them with glowing yellow eyes.

"Are you okay?" asked Sora, his voice shaking but obviously trying to remain calm.

"I'm fine," Ventus replied, pushing himself up and positioning himself infront of the younger boy. As the black blob started towards them again, more appeared, surrounding them as they gave high-pitched chatters. Ventus glanced around, trying to figure a way out or at least get Sora to safety.

Several of the blobs suddenly leapt at them, a few aiming for Sora, and he clutched at Ventus' shirt as he closed his eyes. Ventus growled then turned, acting on instinct. A second later a large key appeared in his hand, hitting the blobs and sending them flying back before they vanished. The other blobs backed away a little, eyes never leaving them.

"What's that?" mumbled Sora, staring at the blade.

"I'm not sure...I keep dreaming about it, though," Ventus replied, frowning. Glancing around, he noticed the blobs seemed to be keeping a wide berth from it, and blinked as he realised they were afraid of it. Plus, it seemed able to defeat them...

Reaching down, he lifted Sora with his uninjured arm, swapping hands with the blade so that it was positioned behind him. Sora glanced up at him, but he didn't look away from the blobs.

"Just hang onto me, okay? I'm going to try and get back to the boat," he said.

Sora nodded, clinging onto him, and he glanced around at the blobs, waiting. They shifted slightly, their movements erratic but eyes never leaving the two boys.

Suddenly Ventus rushed forward, cutting through a few of the blobs and breaking through the circle. The rest gave a loud cry, surging after them. Sora glanced back, feeling the rhythmic pounding as Ventus ran, and saw that the blobs seemed to be sinking into the floor, slipping even faster towards them.

"Ven!" he cried in panic, gripping at his shirt.

Ventus glanced back, eyes widening as he saw them, then gritted his teeth before holding Sora tighter and extending his stride. Sora ducked his head slightly, eyes trained on the blobs chasing after them.

They reached the docks just as Kairi and Riku docked their boat, looking up at them in confusion. "What's the matter?" asked Riku as they approached before blinking as he spotted the large wave of darkness following after them. Kairi backed away a little, fear in her eyes as it drew closer.

Ventus tried to think of a way to get out of this mess. He couldn't drag them all into it, but it didn't look like there was any way out of it either. Frankly, it looked like they were all going to be taken by the darkness.

Just like in his dream.

Instinct overrode him again, and he paused infront of the boats, lowering Sora and facing the darkness. Lifting his blade, he pointed it at the sky. Light gathered at it's tip, suddenly shooting up before a large keyhole appeared, shattering as it hit the light. The light drifted down, surrounding the four of them, before suddenly they vanished.

* * *

They landed with a bump on the ground, giving light groans as they pushed themselves up. Sora lifted his head, looking around, then turned as Riku and Kairi also sat up.

"Where are we?" asked Riku, confused.

Kairi blinked. "Hey...This is Radiant Gardens! This is where I lived before!"

"Really? Why are we here, Ven?" asked Sora, glancing back before blinking. He stood up, looking around, then his expression became worried. "Where's Ven?" he asked.

The other two also stood, glancing around. "Maybe he went down into town?" Riku suggested.

"But he wouldn't leave us alone in case that darkness attacked us again, would he?" Kairi pointed out, biting her lip.

"So Ven got split from us? We need to find him!" Sora cried.

"Sora, calm down. I'm sure he's safe. First, we need to figure out what to do," Riku replied.

"Yeah...After all, we don't have any munny, and our parents'll probably be worried for us soon," Kairi agreed.

"But how are we supposed to get back? We don't have that weird key thing," Sora said. The other two looked disheartened, glancing around.

"So...we're stuck here?" mumbled Kairi.

"No, I'm sure we can get back. I mean, how did you get to Destiny Islands in the first place?" asked Riku.

"Something called a Gummi Ship, I think. But we had to pay a lot of munny for it," Kairi replied.

"We could work for munny! There must be loads of jobs we can do!" Sora said suddenly, excited.

"I don't think they usually hire kids, Sora," Riku replied.

"Then what else are we supposed to do? Unless we can make some munny, we're stuck here! Or do you have a better idea?" demanded Sora.

Riku hesitated, then shook his head. "No, I don't," he said quietly.

Kairi stepped forward. "C'mon Sora, don't be mad. Riku has a point."

Sora glared at Riku a minute, then sighed. "Yeah, I know," he replied, sitting down. The other two joined him, trying to think of a way around their problem.

_'Everything would be fine if we could use that weird key,' _Sora thought to himself, glancing down at his hand.

_'I'll show you how.'_

Sora blinked then gasped as light burst from his hand, taking shape. Riku and Kairi jumped back, staring as slowly the light faded. Sora closed his hand around the large key, gazing at it in shock.

"What..."

"How did you do that?" gasped Kairi.

"I-I dunno, I just thought it would be good if we had it and suddenly it appeared in my hand," Sora replied.

"Then we can get home, right? Try it!"

Sora nodded, standing. He copied what Ventus had done, lifting it to the sky.

_'Home...We want to go home!'_

Light began to gather, suddenly shooting up. The three of them gasped, before suddenly it rebounded, crashing to the floor and sending them flying back. They pushed themselves up, flinching, then looked at the key now lying in the middle of the clearing.

"What happened? Why didn't it work?" asked Riku, glancing at Sora. He shook his head, confused. It had worked for Ventus, so shouldn't it have worked for him too?

"It means your world is unaccessible," a voice said, and they jumped before turning. A large mouse stood there, looking around at them.

"Who're you?" asked Kairi in surprise.

"I'm Mickey, Yen Sid's apprentice. I'm surprised you can use the Keyblade at such a young age," he said, smiling.

"Keyblade?" asked Sora.

"Yeah, the thing you just used. That's the Keyblade," he said.

They looked back at the key in surprise, then turned to Mickey again. "What did you mean our world is unaccessible?" asked Riku.

"A darkness has been starting to rise for a little while. If you can't get to a world, it means it's taken over the world. In other words, it doesn't exist at the minute," Mickey explained.

"Wait...so we can't go home?" Kairi asked, tears rising.

Mickey hesitated. "Not right now. If we can defeat the darkness, then you'll be able to though," he soothed.

Sora pushed himself up, walking over to the large key and picking it up. He glanced over it, remembering how Ventus had been able to fight the blobs back.

"I want to help," he said, turning to Mickey.

"You're too young-"

"I don't care. I can't go back home to Mum, and Ven's stuck out there somewhere! I've gotta help."

Mickey shook his head. "You aren't trained enough to be out fighting the Heartless. At least let me teach you a little bit," he offered.

"We want to help too!" Kairi said, standing. Riku quickly joined her, nodding, and Mickey glanced around at them before nodding.

"Alright. You all have really strong lights, so you can probably use it too." The three of them grinned at each other, then looked back as Mickey turned. "Follow me. I'll talk to Master Yen Sid and see if he can help train you," he decided, lifting his hand. A Keyblade appeared, light shooting from the end of it. As it hit the sky, the light shot back down, surrounding them again. The three of them instinctively grabbed hands, closing their eyes as the light grew blinding.

* * *

Ventus opened his eyes, grunting as he pushed himself up. His head was spinning a little, and he looked around blearily, trying to figure out where he was.

He suddenly realised none of the kids were with him and stood quickly, looking around. Fear gripped him as he didn't spot them. "Sora!" he shouted, biting his lip when no one replied.

"Who the hell're you?" demanded someone behind him, and he turned, blinking as he caught sight of another boy about his age. He looked like Sora, just older, with black hair and bright gold eyes. They were dark, angry almost, and he almost recoiled from them.

"I'm Ventus. Who're you?" he asked instead.

"You think I'd give my name to a random stranger? Idiot," the boy snorted.

Ventus frowned. "I gave you my name. You should give me yours!"

"Sorry pal, the world isn't that simple. Nice meeting ya, but I'm gonna go now."

As he brushed past, Ventus turned, grabbing his arm and pulling the boy to a halt. He looked back angrily, but Ventus interrupted him before he could shout.

"Why do you look like Sora?"

"Sora? Who the heck is that?"

"...You really don't know him?"

"I really think you're a fucking weirdo. Get off me," he snarled, pulling his arm from his grip and starting off again.

"Wait!" Ventus called, and the boy halted again, sighing irritatedly.

"What _now_?"

"Um...Where am I?"

The boy looked confused, turning back to him. "You're super weird, aren't you. Land of Departure, numbskull."

Ventus frowned. "Why did I come here?" he wondered, glancing up at the large building behind them.

"Whaddya mean? You came from a different world?"

Ventus turned back. "Yeah, Destiny Islands. I'm looking for my brother and his friends; we got separated when I transported us."

"'Transported'? I don't see a Gummi Ship anywhere."

"What's a Gummi Ship?"

The boy sighed. "Y'know, how normal people get between worlds?"

Ventus looked surprised. "Is that how? I just used this," he replied, the Keyblade suddenly appearing in his hand. The boy looked surprised, stepping forward and looking at it.

"The Keyblade?" he murmured, frowning.

"Vanitas!" a voice shouted, and the boy looked up, startled. Ventus glanced back, seeing a girl and boy running towards them.

"Fuck. Look, you said you want to find your brother right?"

"Right."

"Come with me. We'll probably bump into them eventually." Ventus hesitated, and the boy sighed. "Look, we don't have time to decide. I'm going now; are you coming with me?"

Ventus bit his lip then nodded. "Yeah," he replied.

The boy grinned before a Keyblade appeared in his hand. He lifted it, darkness shooting out instead. The two of them were quickly engulfed, vanishing just before the boy and girl could reach them.

* * *

**A/N: So, I'm aware that they're all pretty self-taught. They will still be, a little bit, just with having some tuition too. (Obviously Ven does already sorta know how to use the Keyblade cause of Xehanort)**

**I also have a specific set-up for the chapters - though it's not always followed - of having one part of the kids and one part of Ven in each chapter (which is why this chapter is so long)**

**Review?**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Training! YAY!**

* * *

"Woah! What is this place?" gasped Kairi, looking around as they followed Mickey towards the tower.

"Master Yen Sid's tower. Be polite to him," Mickey said, opening the door and leading them in. They started up the steps, glancing around in interest as they went up the various sets of stairs.

Eventually they reached the top, Mickey pushing the door open with the three kids following behind. Almost as soon as they entered, there was a coo before three winged ladies surrounded them, babbling together and patting their hair or pinching their cheeks.

"Oh, aren't you just precious!"

"They're so cute!"

"What brings you here, little ones?"

"Flora, Fauna, Merryweather, I believe that is enough," a bearded man sitting on a chair said. The three women glanced up before backing away, smiling at the kids as they headed to a different room.

The three of them looked similarly shocked, completely caught off-guard by the sudden attention. "Uhh...What just happened?" asked Riku finally, looking towards the door they had gone through.

"I apologise for their behaviour. I trust you are unharmed, however?" the man said. They nodded, looking at him, and he steepled his fingers as he glanced at Mickey. "And why the visitors? Children, nonetheless."

"Their world has been taken over by darkness, Master. I didn't want to leave them unable to defend for themselves; plus, one of them can use the Keyblade, and I think the other two may also gain the ability."

Yen Sid considered this, turning back to the three kids. They automatically straightened, looking hesitant.

"Which of you can use the Keyblade?" he asked suddenly, and they jumped.

"Uh, me, sir," Sora said, stepping forward a little.

"Demonstrate."

Sora hesitated, glancing back at the other two uncertainly. Turning back, he lifted his hand, focusing.

_'C'mon...I could use you before, don't let me down now...'_

_'You're doing it wrong. The Keyblade is partially linked with your emotions, your will. If you will it to appear, it shall.'_

Sora's eyes widened, then he straightened slightly, eyes narrowing as he focused. Yen Sid blinked, then suddenly there was a flash and the Keyblade appeared.

"Ahh, the Kingdom Key? One of the purest forms of the Keyblade...You have great promise, young one," Yen Sid murmured. He eyed him. "You have help," he noted.

Sora looked surprised, then nodded. "Yeah. I'm probably just crazy, but sometimes a voice speaks to me."

Yen Sid lifted a hand towards it, focusing. A dim glow appeared around it, another glow appearing above Sora's heart. He glanced down at it in surprise, and Yen Sid lowered his hand.

"You're heart is bonded with anothers. It is them who speaks to you; you are likely communicating on a subconscious level."

Sora's eyes softened, and he placed a hand over his heart. "Ven.." he mumbled.

Yen Sid gazed at him, then stood. "Very well. I shall train you all. I believe you have the ability to stop the rising darkness, and unlocking your latent potential may be the key to victory in this fight."

The three kids blinked then looked at each other, grinning.

"However, this training will not be easy. Make sure you truly have the will before you begin," he added. They glanced back at him, then Sora shook his head.

"I've gotta find Ven!" he said strongly.

"I'm not leaving Sora," Riku added.

"Neither am I! We stick together," Kairi agreed.

Yen Sid inclined his head. "I applaud your courage. Then, let us begin," he said, lifting a hand as the room fell away.

* * *

"So your world got attacked by darkness, you saved your brother and his friends from the darkness, and now you're looking for him?" Vanitas said as he finished his food, wiping his mouth.

"Basically," replied Ventus, shrugging. He followed Vanitas as he straightened, wandering along the street.

"Huh. Doesn't it drag you down, having people you care about?" asked Vanitas.

Ventus frowned, shaking his head. "No. Sora's helped me tons ever since he found me; plus, having him there just...empowers me, I guess."

"Woah, back up a bit. Found you?"

"Yeah. I'm...sort of adopted."

Vanitas shook his head, brow furrowing. "You just get more and more confusing, y'know that? What d'ya mean, 'sort of'?"

Ventus sighed. "It's just really long and complicated, okay? Really really simply, my heart broke and Sora fixed it."

Vanitas blinked. "Okay. That is pretty simple," he agreed, before tilting his head. "Still...how did it break in the first place?"

Ventus shrugged. "I don't know. I don't remember anything before that point; probably because my heart got broken. I don't know how, or why, or even when."

"Sucks to be you."

"Thanks," Ventus said dryly.

Vanitas raised his hands. "Hey, don't look at me like that! I don't know what it's like, so what's the point of, 'oh poor you, I know just how you feel'?"

Ventus shook his head. "Anyway, let's back up the conversation a bit. Why do you think people drag you down?"

"Well, if you're always worrying about someone else and protecting them, it distracts you. That makes you weaker, and gives the enemy an advantage over you," Vanitas explained.

"Don't you have friends?" asked Ventus, confused.

"No. I was raised with Terra, Aqua, and Master Eraqus, but I just kept to myself. They probably thought I had something wrong with me, especially after five years of knowing me I still hadn't opened up."

"Where were you before those five years?"

"I dunno. I'm like you; I don't have any memories before then. I always knew I could use the Keyblade though."

"And you...you didn't feel lonely during those five years, or anything?" Ventus asked.

Vanitas shrugged. "S'not like I know what not being lonely is like. I mean, I can't really tell the difference. Either I'm with people, or I'm not."

Ventus went quiet, considering this. He knew what that was like, at least...He'd spent too long not really understanding emotions or the differences between things which seemed so important to people to ever fully grasp them. It was really Sora who taught him everything he knew now about how to feel and think; without him, he'd probably be like Vanitas, or worse.

"I think I understand, a bit," he said finally.

Vanitas glanced at him, then yawned. "Alrighty, you want to do something while we're here? We've got some time to kill at least," he pointed out.

Vetus looked at him in surprise, then gave a brief nod. "Sure. I don't think Sora's in trouble, at least."

"Whatever you say. Let's go try that," Vanitas decided, walking over to one of the stalls as Ventus trailed behind him.

* * *

"You need to go after him. He's never been outside before; he could get into all kinds of trouble," Eraqus ordered.

"Master, I understand what you mean, but Vanitas isn't a child. He's proven he can look after himself time and time again," Terra argued.

"Orders are orders, Terra. Go retrieve Vanitas; I won't ask you again," Eraqus snapped.

Terra held back an angry growl, instead giving a brief nod before turning, Aqua beside him.

As they stepped outside, Aqua looked at him. "Terra, I know you're mad, but Vanitas...he doesn't understand the world the same way as we do. There's a lot he doesn't know, and you've seen how he acts sometimes. I doubt he fully grasps human emotions - and who can blame him? We've not exactly tried very hard to teach him."

"He's not a wild animal or domesticated pet either, Aqua. He deserves to do what he wants, rather than being cooped up here. I know Master Xehanort suggested we keep him here, but I think it'd do him good to experience the real world. At the very most we could just travel with him; forcing him to come back seems too extreme, and he'd just try and break out again."

Aqua sighed. "Well...I suppose it wouldn't hurt to just tag along at least. Do you know where he is?" she asked.

Terra nodded, lifting his wayfinder. "He says he doesn't care about us, but he _did _take this. I'm not sure he's trying very hard to push us away."

"Then let's go find him. Maybe we can convince him that we just want to travel with him," Aqua decided, smiling.

Terra nodded at her, changing into his armour before forming a path and heading into it, Aqua close behind him

* * *

**A/N: I am aware that Vanitas is a bad guy. I just happen to really like the kid, so I figured I could make him a protagonist in this *shrug***

**Review?**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: If you've played Dream Drop Distance and looked at the little side-files, you probably know most of what Yen Sid is talking about anyway.**

**Also, everyone seems to be responding pretty well to Vani being a good guy! I just really like the kid, and I really hope that at some point in the next game he's helped by Sora too (just like I hope Roxas, Naminé and Xion get to be people and Terra is a good guy and everyone is happy again), and I also figured if he wasn't constantly being brainwashed by Xehanort but raised by Eraqus like Ven was, he might have turned out a bit better.**

**So anyway, enjoy more Sorikai and Vanven!**

* * *

"What is this place?" asked Riku, glancing around.

"A place where time does not flow at the same rate as the real world. Here, I can train you without interruption, and when we return it will be at the same point as when we left," Yen Sid replied. He turned to them. "Now, take a seat. I shall begin your instruction," he said.

The three of them quickly sat down, gazing up at Yen Sid expectantly. He nodded, beginning to pace.

"The Keyblade is a key-shaped weapon forged by man during the age of fairy tales. All Keyblades have one of three natures; light, darkness, or heart. However, these last two are exceptional, and most documented Keyblades are those of light."

"Is mine?" asked Sora.

Yen Sid nodded. "The Kingdom Key is a rare form for the Keyblade, and can only be weilded by those pure of heart. And besides, it is extremely rare to find Keyblades of Darkness or Heart. The heart must be proven before a Keyblade will appear in its masters hand. No lock can withstand it, nor can any non-agent of light."

"But wouldn't someone who's a...non-agent of light weild a darkness Keyblade?" asked Kairi.

"No. Even if someone weilds a Keyblade of Darkness, they will be an agent of light. Only those pure hearted can weild it, but how that pureness is revealed can vary. There are also special Keychains which allow the Keyblade's appearance and performance to be altered, allowing for greater versatility."

Riku raised a hand, and Yen Sid sighed. "Yes?"

"Where'd the Keyblade come from? It didn't just come from nowhere, did it?" he asked.

"Perceptive, young one. No, the Keyblade did not just 'come from nowhere'. It was forged during the time of the Keyblade War, based on the legendary X-Blade."

"What's that?" asked Sora.

"An ancient tool crafted to be the 'key' to Kingdom Hearts. Many people argue that if the X-Blade had never existed, the devastating Keyblade War may never have occured. It symbolises a perfect crossing of light and darkness, and can be reforged through a high-dimensional clash between those two poles." The three kids stared at him blankly, and he sighed. "If a Weilder of Darkness and a Weilder of Light merged, they could recreate it."

"Ohhh," they murmured together.

"So what's the Keyblade War?" asked Riku.

"The Keyblade War was an ancient fight that occured over possession for Kingdom Hearts, the source of all light. Keyblade Weilders from both light and darkness battled for control of it, and wiped out all the World's light as a result. The legend goes that the few worlds which remain today are the fragmented remnants of this World, saved by the last glimmers of light within the hearts of children."

"Why does everyone want this Kingdom Hearts thingy so much?" asked Kairi.

"As I said before, it is the source of all light. It has long since been lost, but many people have tried to recreate it, or to recreate the X-Blade to locate it once more. It could be used to provide ultimate power to the one who controls it, or is suggested to be able to give a person with no heart their heart back."

"How can someone have no heart?" asked Sora.

"There are various ways, little one. Tell me; when you were being attacked by the darkness, what did it look like?"

"Huh? Uh...well, it was all black with glowing yellow eyes, and it was really small...I guess it resembled an insect?"

"What chased you is called a 'Heartless'. They are beings who have lost their hearts, and so are reduced to that form. They wander the worlds, attacking those with hearts so that they may regain their own heart. Those whose light is pure attracts them, and only the Keyblade can defeat them and retrieve the hearts they have stolen."

"There's no other way to stop them?" asked Kairi hesitantly.

"There are ways, but none will allow the stolen hearts to be reclaimed and returned to their owners. Even then, only a Keyblade of Heart can truly return the hearts; all other Keyblades let them wander until they possibly find their original hosts."

"That's kinda sad," Sora mumbled.

"It is indeed. That is why the Keyblade Weilders strive to lead people to the light; so that they do not have to face this fate." He turned to them. "But, enough of this. Mickey believes you can all use the Keyblade; I am inclined to believe him. Sora, if you would."

Sora blinked then stood, lifting his hand. The Keyblade quickly appeared, glinting slightly in the light.

"Very good. You seem to have gained mastery over it rather quickly. Can you explan what you do?"

Sora considered."I dunno...The voice just said that it responds to my will, so if I will it to appear, it does. So I just kinda go 'come here' and it does."

"An...interesting explanation. I suppose, simply put, it can be described like this." He turned to the other two. "Do either of you believe you could summon yours based on this?"

"I suppose we could try," Riku replied after a shared glance with Kairi, the two of them standing up. They lifted their hands, trying to imagine the Keyblade appearing in their hands. After a moment they sighed, shaking their heads.

"I can't feel anything," Kairi said quietly.

"Not to worry. Specifically put, the Keyblade responds to certain wavelengths. By synchronising those wavelengths, your emotions and will, and the Keyblade together, it appears in whatever form your heart takes. If you focus on synchronising the wavelengths, it will eventually appear." The two kids looked at him blankly, before glancing at Sora. He shrugged.

"Just really want something. I wanted us to go home, so it appeared. Once you get the feeling the first time, it's easy to get later on," he replied. They took this in, facing forward again as they tried to think of something suitable.

_'I...I want to protect my friends. I want to have the strength to protect them.'_ There was a flash, then a Keyblade appeared in Riku's hand. He blinked then gasped, staring at it.

_'I want to save the worlds from darkness. No one should be forced to live in darkness if they don't want to.'_ Another flash, and a Keyblade appeared in Kairi's hand. She gave a happy smile, looking it over in awe.

Yen Sid stared at them a moment, glancing between the three Keyblades hurriedly, then slowly shook his head. "I never thought..." he murmured, frowning, then waved them off as they looked up at him. "It is of no matter at this time. I may need to speak to each of you privately, however." They glanced at each other, then accepted this and turned back.

"Hey, Mister Yen Sid, what's our Keyblade's names?" asked Kairi excitedly.

"Yours, my dear, is Destiny's Embrace. A powerful weapon for the purest soul. And yours is Soul Eater; beware the meaning of it's name."

"Can we go find Ven now?" asked Sora excitedly.

Yen Sid raised a hand. "Patience. You only know how to summon your Keyblades; now it is time to learn how to weild them," he said, waving a hand.

* * *

Aqua and Terra wandered down the street, glancing around. "He must be somewhere near here; the Wayfinder is practically burning," Terra muttered.

"Terra, look! Over there," Aqua said suddenly, grabbing his arm. Terra turned, following her gaze before blinking as he spotted him. Then he realised what she was looking at.

"Who's the other kid?" he muttered as he started forward, Aqua at his side.

The two boys looked up as they approached, Vanitas scowling. "Oh, great. You two," he muttered. The blond beside him looked at them curiously.

"Are these your friends?" he asked, looking at Vanitas.

"In the loosest sense of the word," Vanitas snorted.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ventus," the blond greeted, unaffected by his gruff attitude.

"It's nice to meet you as well, Ventus. I'm Aqua, and this is my friend Terra," Aqua replied, smiling.

"Why are you with this guy?" asked Terra, motioning to Vanitas.

"He said he'd help me find Sora. I'm...not particularly good at moving between worlds yet, and he said he was just wandering about, so I tagged along," Ventus replied.

"Who's Sora?" asked Terra.

"My brother. We got separated when our world was attacked."

The two of them glanced at each other hesitantly. "I'm sure he's fine," Aqua said finally.

"Yeah, he is. I'd be able to tell if he was in trouble," Ventus replied innocently. They blinked, looking a little confused, though Vanitas didn't seem too weirded out.

"Well, anyway, we should get going. Tell Eraqus I'm not going back, and he's a stuck-up prick," Vanitas said, easily summoning his Keyblade and lifting it.

"Wait, Vanitas. Master Eraqus may want you back, but we both agree that you should be allowed out, so long as we accompany you," Aqua quickly said.

"Do what you want. You found me easy enough the first time," Vanitas said, before darkness shot out. It quickly surrounded the two boys, before they vanished, and Aqua sighed.

"He's such a brat," Terra grunted.

"Let's just move on, Terra. Can you lead the way again?" Terra nodded, changing into his armour before he lifted his Keyblade as well.

* * *

Ventus stumbled slightly as they arrived at the next world, Vanitas seeming unpertubed by the slightly rough landing. He stretched, wandering forward as he looked around in interest.

"Now, this place is new to me. Where'd we get transported?" he wondered. Ventus frowned, then blinked.

"Radiant Garden..." he murmured.

Vanitas glanced back. "What? Didn't catch that."

"Sora was here! Him, Kairi and Riku were all here for a little bit, but then they left again..."

"If you knew that, why didn't you just come here in the first place?"

"I didn't. I mean, I know now, but not before. It just sort of...came to me."

Vanitas raised an eyebrow. "Riiight. Anyway, where'd they go?"

Ventus frowned, trying to focus, then sighed. "I don't know. I'm just getting bits and pieces from Sora; nothing specific."

"Well, 'fraid we're stuck then. I mean, you probably led us here in the first place, so I dunno if you wanna try doing it again or.."

"No, probably best not to. We don't know where we'd end up. Anyway, they may end up coming back here eventually, so we could probably wait a bit for them."

"Well, that's up to you. I'm pretty sure those two idiots will come after me soon, so I don't particularly want to hang around for too long. So long as you're fine with being left behind..."

Ventus bit his lip, glancing back at him, then sighed. "Can we at least wait a little while? I mean, it's not like your friends are trying to force you to go home or anything, so I'm sure we can just hang around with them for a bit."

Vanitas grunted. "Whatever," he muttered, but he made no indication that he was moving on and Ventus gave a happy smile before following after him.

The two wandered around for a while, talking to people and browsing the various stores. Ventus was pretty much interested in everything, looking at whatever caught his eye, and although Vanitas didn't show it he seemed pretty curious too. After investigating everything of interest, they found themselves just walking down random streets as they looked around.

"So, how come you can use the Keyblade?" asked Vanitas, looking at him. Ventus glanced at him, then shrugged.

"I don't know. I kept dreaming about it for ages, but I never used it until...yesterday? Wow...It's really only been a day?"

Vanitas yawned. "Well, may as well buckle down somewhere for the night. Follow me, I think I saw an inn near the marketplace," he said, heading back with Ventus behind him. As they headed towards the inn, they briefly saw Aqua and Terra walking into the marketplace. Vanitas smirked then hurried up, staying out of their sight as he slipped into the building. Ventus hesitated before following him, shaking his head.

They quickly booked a room with two single beds, before heading up to it and crashing onto the beds. Ventus quickly fell asleep, snoring happily, and Vanitas shook his head before curling up under the covers and also falling asleep.

* * *

**A/N: I can't remember if I mentioned this, but there's no pairings in this so far. There may be in later parts, but for now I'm happy enough having everyone platonic.**

**The doc uploader is also being weird on me, meaning I have to figure out a way to put these up without it making it all into a giant paragraph - so, if there are any sentences that seem weird or have more than one person talking in them, it's because I had to split up the sentences manually again.**

**Review?**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: In which Sora gets powers that will probably 1) never be used again and 2) he probably couldn't have. However, I do have a reason for it. I'll explain at the end.**

* * *

Sora fell back with a sigh, panting heavily as he sat on the ground. Kairi and Riku quickly sank down either side of him, all of them looking tired. Yen Sid considered them, then nodded. "That will do. You've done admirably for your first time," he said, waving a hand and returning them to the room. Turning, he walked back to his desk, sitting behind it. "You will find spare beds down that hallway and to your left. Riku, Kairi, if I may have a word with you each before you head off?" They nodded, and Sora gave a wave as he wandered down the hallway.

Yen Sid motioned to Riku, and he followed him over to a different room, leaving Kairi in the care of the fairies for a minute. "What's wrong?" asked Riku as he faced the older man.

Yen Sid stroked his beard. "Would you summon your Keyblade, please?" Riku nodded, and it quickly appeared. Yen Sid eyed it, then sighed. "As I thought...Young one, you have much darkness within your heart. As such, darkness is at your command; at the minute, it remains locked deep within you, but should you succumb to the desire for power, it will surge up. I would implore you to fight it, but the darkness is nigh impossible to resist, especially if you desire it for a just cause. Therefore, I ask only this; do not give in to it. Do not use it for evil, or allow it to taint your mind. Let the light of your friends keep you on the path of light, and you shall achieve great things."

Riku glanced down at the Keyblade, then frowned. "Do I have a Keyblade of Darkness?" he asked, looking up again.

"I'm afraid so. As I said, it is rare for one to weild one, but that is not necessarily a good thing. It is hard to control your inner darkness, but if you have the strength, then you can do much good with your power."

Riku considered this, then nodded. "Mister Yen Sid sir, I know you said not to desire power or whatever, but I do want the strength to protect my friends. And I know they won't let me get dragged down by it. So, one day I may end up embracing it, but that will only be because I know they can get me back."

Yen Sid inclined his head. "I admire your faith in your friends. Always stick by those words, and you will do well. Now, you must be tired. Go rest, and I wish you sweet dreams," he said, opening the door. Riku wandered out, waving to Kairi as he walked down the corridor, and she walked over to Yen Sid. He didn't bother heading back into the room, instead kneeling before her.

"What did you need to talk about?" she asked, tilting her head.

"You are likely not yet aware of this fact, but as it stands, you seem to be a Princess of Heart."

Kairi looked confused. "What's that?"

"A female who has the purest light of them all. Their hearts cannot be tainted by darkness, to the point that they drive it off slightly. Your light is exceptionally pure. It is also rare for a Princess of Heart to be a Keyblade Weilder, but I believe you will achieve greatness because of it." He stood up again. "I only ask that you try to stop your friends from leaving the path of light. There will be hardships, but you all show great will, and if you help each other I believe you will be able to succeed."

Kairi blinked, then smiled. "Well, I'm never going to leave them anyway, so of course I'll help them," she said brightly.

Yen Sid chuckled. "Very well. My fears are settled. Unless you have anything else you wish to talk about, you may go rest."

"I think I'm fine, thank you. See you tomorrow, Mister Yen Sid!" she said happily before skipping after Riku and Sora. Yen Sid watched her go, then stroked his beard again.

"A Keyblade of Light, Darkness, and Heart, hmmm? The end of this long fight is nearing," he murmured.

* * *

He blinked his eyes open, sitting up with a yawn. Glancing around, he frowned, confused. Pushing himself up, he looked around, worry entering. "Riku? Kairi?" he called, biting his lip as no one replied. Had they gotten separated too? How? They'd all been sleeping in the same room, so how could they have gotten split up again?

"Sora?" He blinked as he recognised the voice before turning as someone cannoned into him, hugging him tightly. He smiled before hugging Ven back, happy to be with him again. Eventually he pulled back, the two of them sitting on the floor facing each other.

"Where are we?" asked Sora, glancing around.

Ven shrugged. "I'm not sure. I just went sleep, then found myself here. I heard you shouting, so I just followed your voice." He looked Sora over. "How are you guys, anyway? I know you ended up in Radiant Garden, at least..."

"We're fine. We can all use the Keyblade too! We tried going home, but it wouldn't let us, and then we met Mickey who said that it was because our world was taken over by darkness, then he took us to Mister Yen Sid who's been teaching us!"

Ven blinked, then smiled, ruffling his hair. "Sounds like you've been busy," he agreed.

"What about you, Ven?" asked Sora.

"I haven't done much. I ended up at the Land of Departure, where I met this guy who looks like an older you called Vanitas. We've just been travelling to a couple of worlds, but that's all so far."

Sora considered, then something occured to him. "Oh, hey! What's your Keyblade called?"

"Huh?"

"All the Keyblade's have names! Mine's Kingdom Key, Kairi's is Destiny's Embrace, and Riku's is Soul Eater."

"Oh...I don't know. I'm not sure how I'd find out, actually."

"Can I see?" Ven summoned it, passing it over to Sora. He took it, looking it over, then sighed. "I thought maybe I could tell, but I don't know...Maybe I can show Mister Yen Sid?"

"But you'd have to summon it," Ven pointed out, confused.

"I guess..." Sora mumbled, looking downcast. Suddenly an idea came to him, and he looked at Ven. "Hey, what were you thinking when you summoned it the first time?"

"Uhh...I wanted to protect you, I guess?"

"Okay. Make it disappear a sec."

Ven took it back, it vanishing, and Sora closed his eyes. He lifted his hand, focusing, trying to recreate the situation and feelings Ven might have been having at the time.

_'I want to protect Sora!' _

He opened his eyes, and suddenly Ven's Keyblade appeared. Ven blinked, looking surprised.

"Wow. How did you do that?"

"I dunno. I just figured, if I was thinking like you, maybe I could get your Keyblade to come to me."

"That's pretty useful. Do you think it has something to do with our hearts being linked?"

"Probably. Maybe everyone can do it though; Mister Yen Sid said something about psychonizing wavelengths with the Keyblade."

"Psycho...You mean synchronizing?"

"Yeah, that." Ven shook his head, then stretched. "So, you sure you're okay?"

"I'm sure. I'll see you soon, right?"

"'Course. As soon as I figure out how to get to you, I'll join you guys. Maybe I can train with you too," he grinned.

Sora nodded, smiling happily, before leaping at Ven and giving him a hug. "I can't wait! Mister Yen Sid's really nice, so I'm sure you'll really like him," he said happily.

"I'm sure I will," agreed Ven, hugging him back.

* * *

Sora yawned as he woke up, gazing blearily at the ceiling a minute before remembering what he wanted to do. He stood up, rubbing his eyes as he padded down the hallway back to the main chamber where Yen Sid was already sitting at his desk, looking through a few documents. He looked up as Sora entered. "Ah, good morning. You are up much earlier than I anticipated."

"Yeah, I wanted to ask you a question. Ven wants to know what his Keyblade is called," Sora mumbled, yawning.

Yen Sid frowned. "Well, without seeing it, I'm afraid I cannot..."

"It's this one," Sora said, absently lifting his hand and suddenly summoning Ven's Keyblade. Yen Sid stilled, staring at it. That was definitely not Sora's own, and he hadn't used a different Keychain.

He'd summoned someone else's Keyblade.

He forced himself to remain calm, not wanting to alarm the young boy. Instead, he took it, looking it over. It was fully real as well, not some sort of projection he may have created. How, though? Surely his mastery over the Keyblade wasn't that good? He was only self-taught so far... Had he really underestimated the boy so much, so focused on his friends who had such unique attributes? But even then, this wasn't something that he could have overlooked before. The boy had taught himself how to do it overnight - literally.

"Wayward Wind," he said, handing it back. Sora took it happily, allowing it to disappear.

"Thanks," he said, wandering back to the bedroom either to wake the others or sleep again.

As he left the room, Yen Sid sat back, fingers steepled. A Keyblade of Light, Darkness, and Heart, with one Weilder being able to summon other people's Keyblades...Could the other two do it as well? Maybe there was a factor he was overlooking. There were too many variables he had to consider. This would take some looking into before he could say for sure.

* * *

**A/N: So, Sora is able to summon Ven's Keyblade. Though they assume it's by their link, this is partially incorrect; because Sora's heart is linked to so many others, and his light is so strong, he is able to summon other Keyblades that are weilded by agents of light. And obviously, non-agents of light can't use Keyblades, so he can basically summon anyones.**

**Then again, I may make it that he can only summon Keyblades attributed to light, so not Riku's or Kairi's. Or I can have them able to summon each others, or not need to because of such deep bonds, or...well, whatever. Tell me your ideas! I can probably put them into the second part.**

**Also, please note that the doc thing is still useless, and even more so because it doesn't have line breakers, bold or italics. My only theory with it was also shot down when it still saved it as a huge paragraph. So, because my patience fizzles out pretty quick, I'm probably just going to put up two a week/day (in my docs, not posting) until I've got them all or until the doc thing is fixed.**

**Review?**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: So, I've finally worked out an efficient way of uploading chapters, though it's a pretty confusing process which includes using both Chrome and Internet Explorer, and I thought it didn't work for a minute. Hopefully, the doc thing will be fixed soon, because I don't want to be uploading twenty-odd chapters this way, but I suppose if it comes down to it it'll do.**

**Anyway, despite my best efforts, this has become a rather short story. Mostly because several chapters have over 2000 words. I managed to split one chapter to make one more, but this means it'll be finished quickly - and possibly before I finished writing part 2. At that point, I'll have to ask your patience.**

**Anyways, sorry for taking up your time. Onto the story!**

* * *

_'It's called Wayward Wind.'_

Ventus opened his eyes, grumbling and turning over as Sora's voice faded. Wayward Wind, huh? Guess that was cool.

He finally pushed himself off the bed, rubbing his eyes as he wandered to the adjoining bathroom to wash his face. Maybe he would wake up then, at least. Splashing cold water on his face, he grabbed the nearby towel and rubbed his face dry.

Walking back into the bedroom, he finally noticed Vanitas was gone. He frowed, looking around and wondering if he'd gone ahead during the night or something. He'd said he would stay with Ventus, but he already said he didn't get emotions, so there was no guarantee that he would stick to his word...

"Morning, sunshine. Finally woke up?" a voice drawled behind him, and he glanced back, giving a little smile as he recognised Vanitas.

"Was I sleeping for too long?" he asked.

Vanitas shrugged. "Not particularly. I just got up early to check if Aqua and Terra had left yet. They haven't, by the way."

"How can they even find you? Is there some sort of spell or something?"

Vanitas shook his head, reaching into his pocket and pulling out an odd, star-shaped talisman. "This is called a Wayfinder. Aqua made them for each of us, and they let us find each other. That's how they're locating me, though it only tells them the world I'm on, not the actual place I'm at."

"They look like the paopu fruit," Ventus noticed, remembering the star-shaped fruit from Destiny Islands.

"Yeah, that's what they're based off. Aqua said something about us always being connected then handed me this, so I figured I may as well keep it."

Ventus smiled. "You do like them really, don't you," he said.

Vanitas shrugged, pocketing it. "Not really. I just figured there's no point wasting good handiwork. I'm not attached to them or anything."

Ventus shook his head with a knowing smile, then yawned. "Do we have any food?" he asked.

"There's a stall selling some food just outside. We can get something there, then move on - unless you're wanting to wait for your brother?"

"No, that's fine. He's not coming back for a while anyway. I talked to him last night, and he says they're all learning how to use the Keyblade with Yen Sid."

Vanitas looked surprised. "That old coot? You'd think he'd have enough trouble with Mickey. Well, they should be safe at least. Let's grab some food then get going."

The two of them headed out, passing the key to their room back before heading onto the street. Vanitas led them to the stall he'd found, quickly buying some food and passing one over to Ventus before going to a less-busy area. They spotted Aqua and Terra wander past their little hiding place a couple of times, and shared a quick grin, continuing to eat.

Finally Vanitas stretched. "Alright, let's move out," he decided, stepping forward.

"Found you."

The two boys blinked before leaping back, turning to face the stooped old man. His amber eyes glowed as he gave a cruel grin, and he gazed at Vanitas possessively.

"Return to me now, Vanitas. There is no need to associate yourself with this rabble," he purred.

Vanitas shook his head. "I think I'll take option two, thanks."

The man blinked, then his expression became angered. "Then you shall die!" he snarled, lifting a hand. Darkness began to gather, and they backed away, staring at it.

"Who is he?!" cried Ventus as the wind whipped around them.

"Master Xehanort! He's the one who found me and took me to the Land of Departure!" Vanitas called back.

"Xehanort?" Ventus mumbled, wondering why the name was familiar. He glanced back at him, trying to place him, and blinked as he suddenly looked at him. Dizziness suddenly swept through him as is amber eyes bored into his own sky blue, memories from before his heart was broken trying to come to the surface. He cried out, grabbing at his head as he fell to his knees, and distantly heard Vanitas shouting before everything went black.

* * *

Sora gasped, partially rising as the overwhelming pain and fear rushed through him, before it dimmed and he paused. He knelt for a moment, taking shaky breaths as he tried to figure out what was wrong, before slowly sitting again.

"Sora? What's the matter?" asked Riku, and he glanced at them.

"Nothing, just...I think Ven's in trouble or something. Some...old man with amber eyes."

Yen Sid's eyes narrowed as Mickey blinked. "Master Xehanort!"

"Yeah...that's what I heard, I think. Ven knew him, ages ago. At least from what I can pick up."

"Is he alright?" asked Kairi hesitantly.

Sora closed his eyes, quiet for a minute, before nodding. "It's really hard to pick up on, but...I think a boy with him helped him? They're on a different world now, at least. It's all pretty vague."

"I am not fully aware of Xehanort's agendas, but if he is after your friend, he should be wary. Xehanort is not someone to be trifled with," Yen Sid said slowly.

"I think they're trying to avoid him anyway. The boy with him seems to think it'd be better if they kept moving now."

"Very well. Do you feel he is any immediate danger, or can we return to our lesson?"

Sora blinked then coloured. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Yen Sid shook his head. "It is of no matter. Your connection is unique one; I would expect extremely distressing events to be relayed to the other as well. Just do not allow it to distract you from what you are doing at the time; it could be the main factor between winning or losing in a fight."

"Okay."

Yen Sid nodded, then cleared his throat. "Very well. Heartless have many forms; these are a few of the ones recorded."

* * *

Ventus opened his eyes slowly, glancing around in confusion before pushing himself up. He was lying in a wood, the tall trees around them blocking out most of the light.

"You took your time," Vanitas said, and he glanced at the other boy.

"What happened?" he asked, shuffling over to where he was sat infront of a fire.

"I dunno. You just freaked then passed out or something. I got us out of there, but this better not become a habit 'cause I'm not lugging you around if it happens again."

"Sorry," Ventus mumbled, gaze troubled.

Vanitas shrugged. "Not like it matters at the minute anyway. Just rest up a bit, then we'll move on. He probably found us because we were in one world for so long."

"What happened to your friends?" asked Ventus, glancing at him.

"Dunno. Didn't stay for too long after you collapsed. Plus, I didn't really want to hang around where that old coot was."

"Who was he, anyway?"

"Xehanort. Him and Master Eraqus used to be good friends when they were younger, then Xehanort got all weird about darkness - at least, that's what Aqua told me. Why?"

"I feel like I know him...but I can't think where from. Before I lost my memories, at least."

Vanitas considered this. "Well, I don't know much about him. He found me, though he never mentioned where, and then he took me to be looked after by Eraqus and learn how to use the Keyblade. I've only talked with him a couple of times, but last time he said something about me being 'nearly ready'."

"Ready for what?" asked Ventus.

"I don't know. Aqua and Terra don't know either, but I never asked Eraqus. Figured he probably wouldn't tell me," Vanitas shrugged.

"Do you really dislike them all so much?"

"Whaddya mean?"

"Well...You give across that you really don't care about them, but every time you talk about them, you seem really...gentle."

Vanitas raised an eyebrow. "First of all, I don't even know _how _to care for them. Second, how the hell do I seem 'gentle'?"

Ventus shrugged. "I dunno...I just get that type of feeling."

Vanitas eyed him for a minute, then waved it off. "Whatever. Anyway, I don't have any particular feelings for them. We're not particularly close, at least."

"You're probably closer than you think," Ventus mumbled.

"I really don't need you telling me how I think, thanks," Vanitas growled.

"Sorry. I'm just saying."

"Well, you can stop."

The two of them went quiet, Vanitas pointedly ignoring Ventus. The blond sighed, lowering his head into his arms and gazing at the flames blankly. Where had he met Xehanort? How could he know the old man, when he didn't even know he could use the Keyblade until a couple of days ago?

There were too many questions, and no answers, and it was getting on Ventus' nerves.

* * *

**A/N: We've got a bit of tension building between Vani and Ven...but I suppose that's to be expected at some point.**

**Review?**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Actual plot stuff happening now!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. Still. And I'm really bad at playing it too. Still.**

* * *

Ventus and Vanitas had been resting in the forest for a couple of hours when there was a sudden scream. They sat up, surprised and confused, then pushed themselves up and ran towards where they'd heard the scream.

They reached the clearing, pausing as they saw the young girl kneeling in the centre of it, several monsters around her and trapping her. Her gaze was frightened, and she trembled, pale.

"You get the girl, I'll deal with the Unversed," ordered Vanitas before he leapt forward, Keyblade appearing as he started attacking the monsters.

Ventus hurried past him, also summoning Wayward Wind and kneeling beside the girl. "Are you alright?" he asked gently.

"I-I think so...But what..what are those monsters?" she stammered.

"I'm not sure, but we won't let them hurt you. Come on," he said, standing. The girl took his hand, and he gently helped her up before turning and running for the edge of the clearing.

The girl suddenly screamed, and he looked up as one of the monsters leapt at them. Vanitas was quickly there, blocking it and throwing it back before looking back at Ventus with a glare. "Go already!" he snapped, blocking another attack from another monster and slashing again.

Ventus nodded, carrying on running and pushing the girl infront of him, slashing at the few stray monsters who attacked them. As they reached the edge, he saw a flash and blinked before shoving her. She gave a startled cry as she fell forward, falling to the floor, and looked up at Ventus. He slowed, lifting a hand then flinching as the barrier sparked against his hand. Finally he shook his head, looking at the girl.

"Get somewhere safe. We'll deal with the monsters," he ordered.

The girl hesitated then nodded, standing and starting to run. Ventus watched for a minute, then turned back to the monsters, lifting Wayward Wind. He hurried forward, batting a monster away as it attacked Vanitas from behind, going back to back with the other boy.

Vanitas glanced at him. "What happened?"

"Some sort of barrier. Can't get through it."

"Tch. Bastards."

"What even are these things?" asked Ventus as he attacked another one.

"Unversed. There's loads of different monsters out there; those that attacked you and your brother are Heartless - beings without hearts. These are Unversed - Xehanort's personal creations."

"_Xehanort _made these?"

"Yep. Another thing he admitted to me a little while ago."

"You didn't tell anyone?"

"I tried. They ignored me, as you'd expect."

Ventus glanced at him, then decided not to comment, focusing on attacking the Unversed instead.

Finally they came to a halt, having defeated all of them. Panting, they let their Keyblades vanish, watching as the barrier disappeared.

Vanitas glanced around around, then turned away. "We should leave. I don't know if Xehanort knows we're here, but he'll find out soon."

Ventus nodded, hesitantly glancing after where the girl had run to before sighing and turning after Vanitas. The other boy lifted his Keyblade, darkness drifting around them before they disappeared.

* * *

Lessons with Yen Sid were long, and a lot of the time Sora nearly fell asleep in them. Kairi and Riku seemed pretty attentive in them, but he'd seen Kairi dozing once or twice during particularly long lectures about enemies and their strengths and weaknesses.

There were some practical lessons as well, where they would fight Heartless Yen Sid had conjured. For a while they started off easy, fighting Shadows and other simple Heartless, but eventually they began to get tougher.

During this, Sora tried to keep tabs on Ven as best he could. He knew the blond was alright, and after that brief dizzy spell hadn't had one since, but he was still worried. The two of them were world hopping a lot, not staying on one world for very long, though they did take time to rest and eat when the other boy felt they were safe.

They found they could usually communicate each night when they were asleep, though still had yet to figure out why. Sora had considered asking Yen Sid, but although Ven was inclined to trust him, he felt it would be best if it was private between them.

A couple of weeks in, they were introduced to two of Mickey's friends; Donald and Goofy. While Donald was smart, he was also a bit of a stickler for formalities and rules, and they found he was more likely to lecture them than actually play. Goofy, on the other hand, was a lot more clumsy but also fun, and they sometimes played pranks on Donald with Goofy's help.

Yen Sid seemed to realise exactly how big a task looking after three young kids was, as when they weren't boredly sitting through lectures or happily whacking the fake Heartless he summoned, they were running around the tower playing as Donald complained loudly, Goofy chased after them, the three fairies cooed and sometimes helped them, and Mickey just tried to ignore them as he did his own separate training.

Donald, Goofy and Mickey would also frequently leave the tower to check on the worlds and try to stop the darkness, though they were small scale efforts and only held back the inevitable. They would return each evening, tired and slightly injured, with worsening reports of how bad the situation was getting.

"I'm not sure how much longer this can last, Master. The worlds which don't have someone to protect them are easily being swallowed, and those who do have a force are starting to get overwhelmed. We can't provide enough support to each world," Mickey said one evening when they returned.

Yen Sid rubbed his beard, glancing at the three kids. After a moment he nodded. "I shall see if I can remedy that. Go and rest, and have the fairies keep an eye on the worlds."

As the three of them walked off, he turned to the three kids. They looked at him, curious.

"I shall conduct some final tests for you to complete. Do you feel you are ready to go out and face the Heartless?"

They hesitated, glancing at each other, then Kairi nodded. "As long as we're all together, we can do anything!" she said confidentally. The other two nodded, facing him again.

"Very well. Though your training is far from complete, I believe you will be useful in stopping the darkness. The tests shall begin tomorrow, and will start simple. Be prepared."

* * *

The three kids stood, stunned, as they stared at the huge Heartless rearing above them. It was enormous, and gave a bellowing roar, looking around at them with glowing yellow eyes.

They'd soared through all the other tests, easily exhibiting skills in magic, use of healing items, simple skills, as well as fighting without any of that, and so for their final test Yen Sid had created the hardest Heartless they had ever faced.

The Heartless gave another roar before swiping it's hand across the ground. It caught Sora and Kairi as Riku just leapt out the way, sending them flying and hitting the wall surrounding them. Although the blows were softened, they were still a little winded, and pushed themselves up groggily.

"Sora!" shouted Riku as the Heartless swiped at them again.

Sora lifted his Keyblade, creating a barrier just as it hit it. The Heartless reared back, bellowing in pain, and Sora lowered the barrier as Kairi and Riku shot forward to attack it. Their moves were poised, concentrated. Unexpected.

Yen Sid may have been teaching them and pushing them hard, but they pushed themselves harder. They truly did want to protect everyone, and to that end had practised fighting together. Their styles had slowly developed, becoming more unique and personalised, but they'd never really gotten round to showing Yen Sid.

So as the Heartless fell back, roaring as Riku and Kairi continued to batter at it, easily dodging the few attacks it could muster before attacking back, Sora lifted his Keyblade above his head.

"Guys!" he called, and they glanced back at him before nodding and leaping back, out of the way. The Heartless growled, turning to face Sora and lifting a hand over him as he gritted his teeth.

"Sparkra!"

Light shot out from his Keyblade, surrounding him in two layers and rushing around him. It easily cut through the Heartless, and with one last roar it collapsed, fading away.

Sora sighed as he lowered his Keyblade, grinning at the other two as they ran over with a grin. Kairi hugged them both, Sora cheering and Riku laughing as the space around them fell away, showing them back in Yen Sid's tower. They glanced at him, eyes shining and barely noticing his shocked expression.

"...You seem able to handle yourself. Tomorrow, you'll head out with Mickey," he decided finally, watching as they cheered before running to tell the fairies. Sitting back, he rubbed his forehead. "How can they already be so adept?" he murmured to himself.

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**A/N: Overpowered kids are overpowered. But I digress.**

**Review?**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: This is the longest chapter, at nearly 3000 words, and it only has two parts (part with Ven, part with kids)...This is probably the reason it's so short.**

**Speaking of, this is officially 13 chapters long! YAY! Except only two more chapters, which are both pretty short. Booo.**

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Vanitas yawned as he sat on the spaceship they were currently on. Ventus sat awkwardly beside him as the two odd people yelled at them, and another odd person chased a blue furry thing around.

There was a sudden beeping, and they went quiet, looking around. The stockier one went over to the controls, pressing a few buttons before turning back.

"Your Ladyship, two items are approaching the ship at considerable speed."

"Shoot them down," the other person deadpanned.

The first person turned back, pressing a few buttons and frowning. The ship vibrated as something was fired, before there was an odd thrumming sound.

"What's going on?" asked Ventus, glancing around.

"The ship is firing down the two intruders," the second person said.

"What the-" the first person exclaimed suddenly, and they turned to him. He frowned, pressing a few buttons, then shook his head, looking at the second person. "They've vanished, Your Ladyship. The scanners can't locate them."

"Were they not shot down?"

"Not so far as our sensors picked up."

The door suddenly slid open, and they turned, going quiet as the figures entered. As they stepped in, Vanitas groaned.

Aqua glanced around, then spotted them. "Ah, Vanitas. I was wondering where you were," she said with a smile, walking towards them.

"You are companions?" asked the second person.

"Hardly. She's just my babysitter," Vanitas sighed.

"Baby...sitter? I do not understand."

"Don't worry about it," he said, waving a hand.

"Are you trying to avoid us? You've been world hopping so much that it's hard to keep track," Terra grunted.

"I knew you'd catch up eventually. Anyway, it's not you I've been avoiding," Vanitas replied.

"Then who?" asked Aqua, confused.

"A man called Xehanort. He's looking for us, so far as we can tell," Ventus replied.

They frowned. "Why would Master Xehanort be looking for you?"

"Hell if we know," Vanitas grunted.

"We're just avoiding all confrontations as best we can," Ventus said.

"And you ended up here...how?" asked Terra, raising an eyebrow as he glanced around.

"Lady here needed some here, so we helped. Didn't particularly go to plan, but the thought was there," Vanitas said, stretching before standing. "Anyway, I figured you'd probably want a report knowing we're fine, so we're gonna go now," he said. Ventus quickly stood, joining him and looking at him expectantly. "Your turn," Vanitas clarified.

"Oh, is it? Um...I'm not particularly good at it yet, Vani..."

"Just do it. You're fine," Vanitas sighed.

Ventus nodded slowly, lifting a hand. Wayward Wind appeared, and he lifted it, concentrating. Light shot up, surging around them, and Vanitas noticed at the last moment that Aqua and Terra were in it as well before they transported.

They appeared in the next world, crashing to the ground, and Vanitas rubbed his head before sitting up and glancing to the side. As expected, the other two were there. With an angry growl, he turned to Ventus.

"What're you doing?! You got them stuck in it too, you idiot!"

Ventus sat up, wincing before looking put out. "I told you I wasn't very good. I don't have the whole range thing down yet."

Vanitas gave an angry sigh, then stood up, pulling Ventus up after him. "Fine, then we're skipping. Stand still, Ven."

"What? No way! We just got here, I want to see where I transported us," Ventus pouted.

Vanitas gave a growl. "It's your fault you got those two idiots here too, so don't blame me. We're moving on," he said firmly.

"Who're you?"

The two of them blinked then looked up, staring at the boy dressed entirely in green floating above them. Ventus turned to him quickly.

"How're you doing that? That's so cool!"

The boy blinked then grinned. "You think? Hey, Tink, shower 'em a little," he said. The two boys watched as a small figure fluttered out from behind him, crystalline like wings fluttering easily. She eyed them a minute as they stared at her, before flying above them, sprinkling dust over them.

Vanitas sneezed, shaking his head to get the glitter-like substance out. "What was that for?" he demanded, looking up suspiciously.

"Why don't you try flying?" the boy suggested, grinning.

"Really? How?" asked Ventus.

"Just believe you can fly, and you will," the boy explained, the tiny figure nodding her head. They glanced at each other, then closed their eyes, trying to believe they could actually fly.

A weightless feeling rushed through them as they slowly felt their feet leaving the ground, and glanced down, gasping as they saw they were floating a little. With a grin, Ventus pushed himself up further, whooping as he spun a little. Vanitas frowned then did the same, an elated grin spreading across his face briefly.

"This is so cool!" laughed Ventus, twisting in the air.

The boy flew over to them, flying so that it seemed he was lying on thin air. "Knew you'd enjoy it. Name's Peter Pan, and this is Tinkerbell. What're your names?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm Ventus, and this is Vanitas. We're just travelling the worlds at the minute," Ventus replied, turning upside down with a smile.

"Nice to meet ya," Peter said, grinning to each of them.

"Vanitas!"

The three of them looked down, watching as an annoyed Aqua glared up at them. Terra seemed to have accepted that they weren't going to be getting to the boys any time soon and was lying on the grass, hands behind his head as he stared up at the sky.

The boys shared a glance, then nodded at Peter. He motioned to Tinkerbell, and she gave a little trill before flying down, showering Aqua and Terra in a bit of fairy dust.

"Believe you can fly!" called Ventus with a laugh.

Aqua looked like they'd gone crazy, while Terra eyed them a minute before pushing himself up. In one swift motion, he was airborne, rolling slightly as he righted himself before giving a light chuckle.

"Hey, this isn't half bad," he said as he drifted up a little.

Aqua glanced at him, blinking in surprise, while the boys flew over to him, sharing grins. "Come on, Aqua! You can do it!" cheered Ventus, the other three giving calls of encouragement. Aqua hesitated, then bit her lip before closing her eyes and jumping up. There was a brief moment where she started lowering again, before she suddenly floated. Opening her eyes, she stared at the ground that was no longer beneath her feet, before looking up again at the boys. She allowed herself to drift higher, reaching them.

As she did, Peter suddenly darted forward, lightly tapping her arm before flying away with a crowed, "You're it!" Aqua blinked then watched as the other three quickly flew away, laughing and goading her into chasing after them. After a minute she smiled and set after them, happily tagging Terra and flying away as he turned to go after them.

It was an odd experience. They played for a few hours, Peter easily switching between games so that they never really got bored. After a while, however, they headed back for solid ground, happily collapsing onto the grass with light pants and happy grins.

That was when she realised. Vanitas had been _smiling._

* * *

The group appeared in the world, glancing around in interest. It was located in a wood, and as they followed Mickey, they saw a pretty little cottage in it.

"This is where the fairies live," Mickey explained as he led them over to the house.

"Where are we?" asked Kairi, glancing around.

"The Enchanted Dominion, home to Briar Rose, the fairies, and Maleficent."

They had reached the cottage and knocked on the door, waiting a moment. The door was soon opened by Fauna, who smiled when she spotted them.

"Hello dearies. Do come in," she offered, stepping aside to allow them in. They stepped through, looking around with wide eyes. Flora and Merryweather were currently bickering, until Fauna cleared her throat loudly causing them to look up. They blushed as they saw the others, then swooped over to the three kids, checking them over and asking if they needed anything.

There came a frenzied knocking at the door, and they looked up as it was hurriedly opened by Goofy and Donald.

"Mickey, there's a ton'a Heartless!" Goofy cried.

Mickey frowned. "How strong?"

"It's not gonna be easy," Donald replied.

Mickey nodded. "Alright, I'll be along in a second. You three, stay here with the fairies. Once we've cleared out the stronger enemies, we'll bring you up and you can help," he said to the kids.

"But-" Sora started.

"I know you want to come with us, but let us deal with this bit. We don't want you getting hurt," Mickey said quickly, lifting his hands.

They hesitated, then nodded. "We'll wait here," Riku replied.

Mickey nodded, giving a brief smile before hurrying after the other two. The three kids allowed themselves to be subjected to the mollycoddling of the fairies once again, as well as a brief session where they tried changing the colour of Riku's clothes but couldn't decide on the best one. After much persuasion they changed it back, and the three kids skulked away in the hopes of it not happening again.

After a while Merryweather glanced around, sighing. "Oh, where is that Briar Rose? She should have been back already."

"Do you want us to go look for her?" suggested Kairi quickly, the other two nodding eagerly. The fairies shared an uncertain glance, then Flora nodded.

"Alright dearies. Just be careful and don't take too long; if you can't find her, we can locate her," she said gently.

"Okay," they said happily, heading out of the cottage. They headed further into the woods, chatting happily as they investigated. It was peaceful and quiet, birds and animals calling out to each other and occasionally crossing their path, not seeming at all afraid of the three kids.

Kairi suddenly paused, glancing around. The two boys stopped and looked back at her in confusion.

"What's the matter?" asked Sora, turning to her.

"Can't you hear it?" she asked.

The boys glanced at each other then listened, trying to listen for whatever Kairi could hear. After a moment they heard a distant singing, and blinked.

"Is that...a girl singing?" asked Riku.

"Maybe it's Briar Rose!" Sora suggested.

Kairi nodded, grinning, and they turned before starting to follow the singing, listening carefully as it slowly got louder and louder. Finally they came to a clearing, seeing a girl kneeling on the grass beside a river and looking down into the water. She was extremely beautiful, with golden hair and gentle eyes, and animals gathered around her.

Stepping out, the girl looked up, surprised to see them. "Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm Kairi, and this is Sora and Riku," Kairi introduced.

"Are you Briar Rose?" asked Riku.

"Yes...How do you know my name?" asked Rose, standing.

"Merryweather was looking for you. She was worried because you weren't back yet," Sora explained.

Rose looked surprised. "Oh...I forgot. I met the most lovely man, and I suppose time must have just slipped by," she said.

"Well, if we go back now, I'm sure they won't mind," Kairi said with a smile.

Rose nodded, picking up a basket beside her and following the three kids. They started back towards the cottage, happily talking to Rose as she explained about her encounter with the man.

There was a gutteral growl, and they paused a moment before suddenly several Heartless and other creatures leapt out. Rose gasped, gazing at them in fear as the animals scattered. The three kids summoned their Keyblades, looking around.

"I thought all the monsters were up at the castle," Sora said, gaze slipping over them.

"There may have been more he didn't know about," Riku pointed out.

"What are those other things, though? They don't look like any of the Heartless Mister Yen Sid showed us," Kairi asked.

"They don't have the same symbol either," Riku noted.

"They have symbols?" asked Sora in surprise, and the other two sighed.

The Heartless and other monsters quickly leapt forward, and Riku blocked the attack, Sora and Kairi quickly slipping past him to throw the monsters back before Riku shot between them, attacking several more. As they focused on attacking the monsters, several Heartless slipped past them, lashing at Rose. She cried out, backing away as she looked around them in fear.

The three kids glanced up, looking towards each other. A second later Riku rushed forward, hitting the Heartless back and guarding Rose.

Something quickly became clear, however. Without Riku there to watch their blind spots for them, Sora and Kairi began to get overpowered, attacked from behind before they could retaliate. The overwhelming amount of monsters slowly forced them to retreat, though the monsters also quickly cut them off.

Sora slashed at a few of the Heartless, panting, then glanced back as Kairi cried out. He quickly hit the other monster which had attacked her, turning to attack some more to the side before covering Kairi as another two came at her. She gave a grunt as she attacked another monster coming at him from the front, and he shot her a quick smile before slashing at several more.

He paused a moment, looking around at the ton of monsters surrounding them, and gritted his teeth before lifting his Keyblade.

"Sparkra!"

Light shot out, destroying the various monsters around them and clearing a bit of space. As it faded, his hands dropped to his side, and he gritted his teeth as his gaze started to blur. Glancing back at Kairi, he saw she had dropped to her knees, panting heavily as the injuries on her continued to bleed. Looking over at Riku, his eyes widened as he saw the huge amount of Heartless swarming at him and Rose, who was doing nothing to help.

Sora glanced down at his Keyblade. A Keyblade of Light...glancing at Riku and Kairi's, he frowned. They felt different. He'd noticed it before, but never commented on it. The type of power they used to summon and control theirs felt different from his. Yet they felt different from each other, too.

Were they Keyblades of Darkness and Heart?

"Riku, Kairi!" he called, and they glanced at him. He gave a grin, trying to reassure them. "You guys know what type of Keyblades you have, right? So, lift them above your head, then just try to use your inner power!"

They hesitated, then relaxed, nodding. Kairi stood up, the three of them lifting their Keyblades above them, and concentrated. Power quickly surged through them, and they blinked at the sudden increase of strength. The tips of their Keyblades began to glow, shooting out in a wide circle to each Keyblade, and they blinked as they felt something odd. Unique.

Then power burst out, rippling in a flurry of light and darkness, and shooting across the land. All the monsters faded, disappearing with angry and pained cries, arcing upwards to meet in the sky before exploding in a brilliant shower. The sparks rained down slowly around them, and Rose stared, lifting a hand to cup a few.

There were several dull thumps, and she jumped, looking back down before gasping as she saw the three of them had collapsed. She quickly knelt beside Riku, checking him over.

"Are you alright?" she asked fearfully, unable to see any injury.

"Rose!" a voice called, and she looked up as her three godmothers hurried towards her. They stiffened as they saw the kids, then went over to them, eyes hard as they surveyed them.

"They're much stronger than we anticipated..." murmured Fauna.

"We'll take them back to Yen Sid. Head back home with Rose and tell Mickey what happened when he returns," Flora said to Merryweather. She nodded, gently coaxing Rose after her and back towards the cottage. As soon as they were gone from view, Flora lifted her wand, waving it above the group before they promptly vanished.

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**A/N: Still overpowered. I dunno. That'll probably happen a little less in the next part.**

**Review?**


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